Congratulations, fantasy football managers — you made it to Week 17! If you are playing in the championship matchup this week, you probably had at least one strong, dependable RB on your team, and several of those are dealing with injuries that could impact their Week 17 status. What are the latest injury updates surrounding Raheem Mostert, De’Von Achane, and Rhamondre Stevenson?
RB Injury Updates
Raheem Mostert, RB, Miami Dolphins
Editor’s note: Mostert did not practice on Thursday for the Dolphins.
If you drafted the Dolphins’ RB Mostert this season, then you are sitting pretty. Very few people could have predicted a season like this from an almost 32-year-old veteran RB. The RB2 on the season is tied with Christian McCaffrey for the most TDs by an RB this year with 21, and there are still two games left to be played. Mostert has been the backbone of the Miami offense, with over 1,000 yards on the ground and 175 yards receiving.
The mileage on Mostert’s tires may have finally caught up to him as he played a season-low 19 snaps against the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday due to a leg injury. This is currently being referred to as an ankle issue. Mostert is no stranger to injury, missing half of the 2020 season and most of the 2021 season due to injury while playing for San Francisco.
Mostert did not practice on Wednesday, and while the veteran often misses practice in the middle of the week for a maintenance day, fantasy managers must be aware heading into the massive Week 17 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. His status is uncertain, but as head coach Mike McDaniel said today, “Good luck telling that guy he can’t suit up.”
If Mostert is held out of the game, which seems unlikely due to the importance of it, it will be the De’Von Achane and Jeff Wilson Jr. show. Be aware of Achane’s toe injury, though; Wilson could be the primary RB if both Mostert and Achane missed.
De’Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins
Editor’s note: Achane returned to practice on Thursday for Miami.
The Achane roller coaster has been quite a ride in 2023. Weeks 3-5 was one of the most incredible stretches of fantasy RB play this season, with the pinnacle being in Week 3 when Achane had four TDs and 233 all-purpose yards. It was a sight to behold.
Unfortunately, the rest of the season has been much more sporadic. There were some good weeks, some rough weeks, and several weeks where he sat out due to injury. But if you managed Achane shares, if he was playing, you started him. No fantasy managers wanted to see the man go ham while sitting on their bench.
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Managers might have to make another tough decision this week, with Achane missing practice on Wednesday due to a toe issue. Teammate Mostert also missed practice, which hopefully means it was a maintenance day for the RB crew, but it is still concerning.
If Achane aggravates his toe and is sidelined, the Dolphins have a small problem with Mostert also battling an injury. Backup Wilson is healthy and ready to go, and Miami needs all the weapons they can get against Baltimore this week. A win over the Ravens would give Miami their first AFC East title since 2008.
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots
Stevenson’s fantasy breakout season, we hardly knew ye. The New England Patriots were nothing like we expected them to be this season, but despite a few rough outings, Stevenson was a bright spot for fantasy managers. He had seven finishes as RB21 or better, but managers haven’t seen him on the field since Week 13 against the Los Angeles Chargers when he played only 27% of the snaps.
He went down with an ankle injury that week and has not practiced since. On Wednesday, Stevenson was not listed on the injury report despite not practicing. Ian Rapoport later reported that the Patriots are placing him on injured reserve, ending his season.
Ezekiel Elliott will carry the load for the Patriots for the last two games. He has had a solid showing as the RB1 with Stevenson out, and he has a decent matchup against the Buffalo Bills this week. Elliott is the RB19 in PFN’s Consensus Rankings this week.
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